New Kia Picanto 3-door (2011) arrives

The new sport Kia Picanto 3-Door The Kia Picanto of old was a dreary little thing, best thought of as disposable motoring flotsam; so cheap you could throw it away when you’d finished with it. But the new Kia Picanto – revealed at Geneva this year - is a different kettle of fish altogether, and now we’re to get treated to a ‘Sporty’ version too – the 3-door Kia Picanto. Already in a different league in the looks department, the 3-door Picanto raises the bar again and is starting to look almost as good as stuff like the Fiat 500 – but from only £7,795.

Analysis: why GM is pulling Chevrolet out of Europe

The news that Chevrolet is to leave the western European car market (while staying in eastern Europe and Russia) is not a huge surprise, but it provides an interesting contrast to the success of fellow Koreans, Hyundai and Kia. “Fellow Koreans?” you might say, “but isn’t Chevrolet American?” Yes and no. The Chevrolets we were getting were all made in Korea in the factories that used to be owned by Daewoo, except for the handful of Camaros and Corvettes, which were authentically American.

The Ultimate Golfer’s Car – The Garia

The £14,500 Garia Golf Car I’m afraid we’d call it a Golfer’s Cart, but Garia – makers of what must surely be the most OTT golf cart in production – insist it’s a golf car. Or at least they do in all the bumph they sent us. Keen to point out that the Garia is “manufactured at the Valmet Automotive factory in Finland, manufacturer of the Porsche Cayman and Porsche Boxster” you soon start to realise that this isn’t going to be cheap.